Elop Was Second Choice as Nokia CEO

HELSINKI—Stephen Elop wasn’t Nokia Corp.’s first pick as chief executive three years ago, the man many credit with having fueled the company’s rise—only to later preside over its decline—says in a memoir released Thursday in Finland.

Jorma Ollila, a well-known Finn who is now nonexecutive chairman of Royal Dutch Shell PLC, was Nokia chairman when Mr. Elop was snatched from Microsoft Corp.’s executive ranks to join the once-dominant handset maker. By the time Mr. Elop arrived, Nokia had fallen behind Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. in the quickly emerging smartphone market.

In his book, Mr. Ollila—who as chairman in 2010 led the search for a new CEO—describes how he flew to the U.S. that year to interview five potential candidates with suitable backgrounds over the course of three days. After the interviews, Mr. Ollila’s primary choice “was the No. 2 man at a well-known American technology company.”